His name is, Strider. And he's a 11 year old Airedale Terrier. The best dog anyone could hope to become buddies with. He's goes everywhere with me, or use to. In the last few months his back end has become weaker and weaker. Its not hip-displasia, but another spinal cord type problem. More common in bigger breed types.I have to carry him down the stairs to get outside so he can do his business. I want to cry everytime I see him trying to get up just to get a drink of water.

I've been with him when he's run after and caught up to all kinds of animals. I live near a vast trail system full of deers and the occasional black bears. To see him take off after a couple of deer is a thing of beauty. He was very athletic and co-ordinated. I was walking him on two different occasions when he caught groundhogs. He just had that natural terrier instinct in spades.

Airedales more than most breed's don't show their pain. But I can see it in his eyes now. I'm loosing a friend and it's killing me knowing what I have to do soon. All of my kids grew up with him, and my wife just adores him.

I know there is a loving God. He gave me Strider to take care of for 11 years.

You have my condolences. Ive been there myself. All you can do is understand that you gave him a great life and that his time has come. Celebrate the happiness he brought to your world. As hard as it is you owe him that one last favor.

Thanks all. Took him for a bath today at a local dog-wash place. Wife put a sling under his belly to hold him up. I drizzled the water over him and gently washed him. It was good for all 3 of us to do that, not sure why. It almost felt like we were preparing him for....well anyway. He enjoyed it as best he can now. Gonna keep him comfortable for a couple of days then say good bye.

This situation is never easy nor fun. My wife and I have had some seriously bad luck with a few pets. A dog put down at 6, had cancer, liver disease etc. A year and half old cat had to put down. I'll stop, you get the point.

It has seriously made us a bit "Overreactive" to a pets health sometimes. That being said we have learned to always try and focus on the important things. Like the fact that you were a great companion just as your pup was to you. Thats what you have at the end of the day, and that is certainly the most important thing to remember.

Owning a pet is just cruel irony a lot of times. Their life spans are so short and it's awful having to say goodbye so soon when they have given so much joy and love. Very few things I hate more than hearing someone who loses a pet. Brings the toughest of us to our knees.

Really sorry for the inevitable loss....from one pet lover to another.

I hate these threads. It really sucks that pets have such short lifespans.

You want a turtle. It will probably outlive me. Eventually the kid who bought it is going to get stuck taking care of a geriatric reptile.

Well, on the plus side it means that we get to know a series of pets throughout their life cycles. I've been through three cats over the past 37 years. My current one is 14 years old. He's probably got another 2-3 years left. When he's dead I'll get one more kitten who ought to live until I'm well into my 70s.

I enjoy the company of mature cats most of all. They are most affectionate and agreeable by age 12 and they don't start to decline until 15 or so. I wish they could remain in that age range forever.

I trust that Arclight will eventually get a new puppy, and will enjoy the companionship of another animal all over again. Doesn't make letting go of the old one any easier, of course.

So tough. I've been there too. I miss my dalmatian so much...she was a great companion. Not only was she always happy to see me, not matter what kind of day I had, she would smile for me! A lot of Dals can smile when they're happy. I felt very fortunate to have her for 13 years.

Well, my dear old Strider went to the happy hunting grounds at 6:00 pm today. For the last 3 or 4 days he got dramatically worse which just re-inforced our decision to end his pain.The Vet, didn't even try to get us paying for the latest drugs, operations, what have you. She was absolutely sure it was the right time.

Strider couldn't get on the table so we all sat on the floor of the room we were in. There was myself, wife, vet and her assistant. Strider layed on his side, his tail slowly thumping the floor as we stroked and patted him. I couldn't have cared less about the people there, I just started telling him what he meant to me, and how grateful I was for his friendship.

The needle went in a vein in his rear leg.....Strider didn't jump or whince, he just lifted his head, and his eyes locked on mine....................................I fell apart. I heard the Vet say his heart had stopped..............I almost ran from the office to the santuary of my van....and let it out like I've never done before. It kind of shocked me how deep the pain was of losing my buddy.Since being home I've done a half dozen things from routine with Strider, each time forgetting he's gone. This is gonna take a while I can see.

Again guys, thanks a bunch for your supportive words and the empathy you've shown me.

" I know that I know, that I'll see you again old friend. Until then, so long for now Strider. You've made my life so much richer."

A dog is absolutely the best friend anyone can have. In my life I had three dogs and they were the best friend ever. Excited to see you, anytime. Good listeners as well. I had a rough set of teen years and really no one to talk to. My sister had a runt named Squirt who was my biggest confidant, who helped me to get through those years. Kage (Shadow in Japanese), was my dog, who I had to give up to my folks when I couldn't find a place that allowed pets. I visited him when I could, when my folks lived nearby, and when they moved to AZ. At 16 yo, my Dad told me he had a feeling that Kage was getting ready to leave. I drove 9 hours to their house and saw him. When I got there he was happy to see me but then started barking at me for about a minute. I hugged him and gave him some treats. I was sure he was okay and my Dad was overreacting. The next day we found him asleep forever in his doghouse. To this day, I think he was saying goodbye to me and I had failed to see it.

You have my deepest sympathies Arclight. Strider sounded like he was a great friend.

I have two dogs of my own, both raised by me from 6-weeks-old to their current ages of 5 and 6 1/2, and this weekend I will be moving 90 minutes away to begin my pharmacy curriculum. They will be in wonderful hands as my wife and brother in law will care for them in my absence, but the true challenge will be not having my dogs to care for me. While weekend trips home should obviously involve some desire to see my wife, I'm a bit embarassed to say that I may be even more anxious to see my dogs.

I cannot imagine your grief or even begin to grasp your loss. While it is of little consolation now, the last 11 years with Strider have enriched your life more than many will ever know, and you will forever be better for it.

My deepest sympathy.

Logged

Beauty is only skin deep. Which is why I take very good care of my skin.

Sorry for your loss Arclight. I'm sure you gave him a loving home all those years, and that's a wonderful gift.

fwiw, when I had my ailing (congestive heart failure, and other issues) 16 year old cat Molly put to sleep a vet ER in Sept. 2010, it probably took me almost a year before I fully felt ready to adopt another pet. My last words to her were "thanks for being my best friend for 12 years."

I cried driving home from the ER at about 3:30 a.m., and I cried the next morning, and I had these crying jags now and then for weeks after that. My eyes hurt at times, cause I just hadn't cried about anything in maybe decades. I've never reacted like that to any sort of loss in my life. I still have a photo of Molly the cat on my desk and at home.

It did get better though. Talking about my loss with fellow pet owners (whether dog owners or cat owners) and posting on boards about it, including here at GT, did help me. I'm the only pet owner in my family (my teen nephew does do some dog and cat-sitting, and loves animals), and I think to some extent my family was understanding but really didn't appreciate how devastated I was for a time. Anyone with pets understood. I just needed a certain amount of time to grieve in my own way.

Anyway, by the time JJ the tuxedo cat curled up on my lap at an animal welfare league shelter in Va. in Aug. 2011, I was ready. And I'm sure if you'd like to adopt another dog eventually, you'll know when you're ready to do that too. Peace...

fwiw, when I had my ailing (congestive heart failure, and other issues) 16 year old cat Molly put to sleep a vet ER in Sept. 2010, it probably took me almost a year before I fully felt ready to adopt another pet. My last words to her were "thanks for being my best friend for 12 years."

I cried driving home from the ER at about 3:30 a.m., and I cried the next morning, and I had these crying jags now and then for weeks after that. My eyes hurt at times, cause I just hadn't cried about anything in maybe decades. I've never reacted like that to any sort of loss in my life. I still have a photo of Molly the cat on my desk and at home.

Putting Toke down was the first time that I'd ever been actively involved in the death of somebody that I deeply loved. I'd had that cat since I was 18 years old...so all of my adult life. I stroked him and looked right into his trusting but pained eyes as they administered the dose. I was a little surprised that I couldn't pinpoint the exact moment that his life fled, even though the vet reported his heart stopping.

I managed to keep it together until I left the building, and then I just broke down and bawled. I swear I heard Toke say (in the voice that we had always assigned to him) "Pull yourself together, man, you're embarrassing me." And then I swear I chuckled before I bawled even harder.

The moral of the story being, I guess, that sometimes you just have to let yourself go.

Six months later I had to pull the plug on my father, and by the time I put my dad down I felt like I had some experience, so Toke's death wasn't meaningless to me.

fwiw, when I had my ailing (congestive heart failure, and other issues) 16 year old cat Molly put to sleep a vet ER in Sept. 2010, it probably took me almost a year before I fully felt ready to adopt another pet. My last words to her were "thanks for being my best friend for 12 years."

I cried driving home from the ER at about 3:30 a.m., and I cried the next morning, and I had these crying jags now and then for weeks after that. My eyes hurt at times, cause I just hadn't cried about anything in maybe decades. I've never reacted like that to any sort of loss in my life. I still have a photo of Molly the cat on my desk and at home.

Putting Toke down was the first time that I'd ever been actively involved in the death of somebody that I deeply loved. I'd had that cat since I was 18 years old...so all of my adult life. I stroked him and looked right into his trusting but pained eyes as they administered the dose. I was a little surprised that I couldn't pinpoint the exact moment that his life fled, even though the vet reported his heart stopping.

I managed to keep it together until I left the building, and then I just broke down and bawled. I swear I heard Toke say (in the voice that we had always assigned to him) "Pull yourself together, man, you're embarrassing me." And then I swear I chuckled before I bawled even harder.

The moral of the story being, I guess, that sometimes you just have to let yourself go.

Six months later I had to pull the plug on my father, and by the time I put my dad down I felt like I had some experience, so Toke's death wasn't meaningless to me.

Nice to see good people around here that unfortunately have had to go through these things before, but share their stories in a positive fashion. Sorry for the run on sentence.

Update: We slowly dealt with Striders passing and now I can remember him without crying.

We are dog lovers and need them in our lives, they add so much to this adventure called, life.We phoned the breeder of strider and she had a pup almost ready to go to a home.Long story short we went and picked up, Teddy, a few days ago. He will never replace Strider, but I'm sure he will construct his very own room in our hearts.

He is such a great puppy and he is bringing another level of healing to us.

Again you all are amazing with the kind words you gave.

So a new adventure has started, just in time for our big move to cabin life.

Late arrival, so I can definitely feel your pain and joy. Our oldest dog is diabetic, now blind and deaf. He's actually doing reasonably well otherwise, but my wife and I have decided that his quality of life, while ok now, couldn't really take another major long-term blow.

A few years back, we had to put our chocolate lab to sleep. He also had some sort of rapid-onset neuro degenerative condition, only his was head/neck related. He was having difficulty swallowing, among other things

And one of the big fella..Teddy is about 10 weeks in these pics. He will lose most of the black on his body, with the standard "black saddle" Airedales have. Strider was nearing the time for a hair-cut. But I always liked him when his fur blew out all shaggy. Those are the eyes I looked into when he said good-bye.